2 or Less Stars

Through the Oracle’s Mist, Vengelys Book 1:

Through the Oracle’s Mist starts the story of the Vengelys brothers. This book is written in first person and alternates between Tynan, one of the Vengelys brothers, and Cyrenna, his match-mate (think soul mate). The brothers are banished from their home world of Amaranth to the human world. Cyrenna follows Tynan, and this book is the story of their encounters over many lifetimes on Earth.

Much of the historical events and places described are captivating. There is a formality to the writing style that took me a while to get into so I could read at a quicker pace. At times it seemed that the author had spent a lot of time crafting some of the sentences to the point that they had a poetic quality that matched the sweeping grandeur of the overarching tragic love story being told. Other times it seemed the author hadn’t paid enough attention, as the tense switched from present to present perfect to past to past perfect so often and with a degree of randomness that left me frustrated.

Despite some hurdles, I did find the story line interesting, so I give this book three cat kisses.

Warrior’s Watchtower, Vengelys Book 2:

This book picks up where the last left off, only this time there are more narrators. There are still passages from Tynan’s and Cyrenna’s first person POV, but there are also passages from Tynan’s sister Jondre (her narrative is in first person and italicized in what, I presume, is an attempt to make it clear when we are in her head). In addition, a host of other characters get their stories told in a mostly limited third person POV (on occasion sections are omniscient third person POV).

Unfortunately, unlike in the last book, the person who’s head we’re in isn’t indicated at the beginning of each passage as it was in book 1. Combine that with the continued waffling between tenses, and this book is a bit of an aggravating mess to figure out. There are also more typos, misused words, and improper/confusing punctuation in this book. I was given a review copy, so it is possible some of the mistakes were cleaned up for the final version.

The story itself is interesting and the world continually becomes more complex, as do the characters. The cliffhanger at the end suggests an intriguing direction. I can’t say a whole lot more about the plot without giving things away.

It’s too bad that the writing isn’t more consistent and refined, as this series has a good concept and characters. However, I have to give Warrior’s Watchtower only two cat kisses.

Cyrenna thought she died the day she watched Tynan and his brothers jump through the banishment portal in an act of solidarity with Rigor. Little did she know that it would be the first of many deaths she would experience in her quest to claim his heart. She would surrender not only her immortal soul, but a mortal one repeatedly. Through a deal with the great Oracle, she has multiple mortal lifetimes to change the direction of her future and have a chance with Tynan. From the GenPei War in Japan and the Silk Road west, to Cromwell, the Three Kingdoms and modern times, she lives and dies repeatedly hoping to get her heart’s desire.

Near the end, she makes a misstep, breaks one of the rules of her covenant with the Oracle, and cannot return. The burden falls to Tynan and everything she was able to share with him to that point. The only thing that is absolute is her fervent hope that he will come, but there’s one big problem. Through it all, he doesn’t so much as know her name.

Her heroes are gone, taken together in a flash by a vengeful God leaving Jondre to find her way alone. Befriended by a woman who knows more than she’s telling, she makes a choice to try to help what’s left of her family and finds herself at the seat of power but also the center of the expanding abyss. Her world is nothing that it seemed.

A Eupion raid near the boundary delivers a surprise to High House, a new tragedy to deal with and the catalyst for an even more difficult future to come. Just when she thinks there cannot be more, she sees the most fearsome immortal she’s ever encountered, and as match-mates are revealed, this one is hers. Nothing is simple anymore.

About the Author

There is no simple description for Aedan Byrnes. Obsessive, dreamer, reclusive, compulsive, outdoorsman and wordsmith would be among the list if one were started. The displaced Gael lives in the upper Midwest with family between jaunts wherever the road goes. A frequent traveler, Aedan is as likely to be found rock climbing, spelunking, sitting fireside dreaming or aimlessly floating away as hiding with pen and paper working on the next tale.

A lifelong lover of words and writing, Aedan claims a diverse reading appetite and the writing reflects the myriad influences. A self-proclaimed ‘reader’s writer’, the emotional and sensory results of word combinations outweigh the visceral comprehension of phrases for the stories and drives the prose. The original ‘Eclectic Bard’ enjoys the special magick of storytelling, those who embrace the challenge of writing, and the dreamers who get whisked away by the words making the journey worth taking.

“One Night of Sin” is an erotic short that features Lisette, a librarian, and Sully, a rich Dom. When Sully’s car gets stuck in a snow bank, he comes to the library to call a tow truck (although why a rich man wouldn’t have a cell phone in this day and age…). Essentially, this piece is a long sex scene. Outside of Lisette telling the reader about her life in the early pages, the story is a description of Lisette’s and Sully’s sexual encounter with some sexy dialogue thrown in.

Just sayin’…

This is a pretty ordinary story that could have benefited from some editing, suffering from typos, rampant misuse of commas, and one or two dangling participles—all of which make the story more difficult to read. Continuity errors also detract from the story. For instance, at one point the story says, “Wrapping his fingers around my bound wrists, he slides his legs between them, so I look as if a child wrapped around their fathers’ leg.” In the next paragraph, it says, “My hands still bound in front of me, dangle.” Sometimes the movements and placement of body parts didn’t seem to quite add up.

Still, there are some hot moments. If you’re looking for arousal rather than a complex story, One Night of Sin might work for you. I give this story two cat kisses.

Lissette Banning spent all of her time with books. As the head librarian, she was there from open to close and almost always alone. One snowy night will turn into a blizzard of sin and make all her fantasies come true. She will soon learn, some fantasies are better in real life than any of her books.

Sullivan Bixby just came in to call a tow truck. His vehicle stuck in a snow bank, he soon realizes he’d rather be snowed in the library than anywhere else. Can he help Ms. Banning lose her inhibitions? Can he show her the true meaning of pleasure?

Meet Veronica

Veronica Velvet is a writer of Erotic/BDSM stories. Her first short story, “One Night of Sin,” introduces readers to Sullivan Bixby and her Club Liaison series. These stories are going to follow members of the club as Sullivan plays “Matchmaker”. To follow Veronica, you can reach her on Facebook or Twitter.

Excerpt:

Sighing, I place my glasses on the desk before me. Glancing at the clock, it’s only eight pm. I still have another hour before I can close up here, go home, curl up with some wine and a Channing Tatum flick. The book I’m reading is getting real steamy and I don’t want to read it here. I want to be home, in my bath tub with my Form 6 G3. The toy is an invention of heaven. Fiddling with the nameplate on my desk, I trace the letters with my fingers. I could be naughty and bring it to work with me one day. This makes me smile to myself.

Yup, that’s me. A thirty year old lonely librarian, who at the moment is thinking of bringing a vibrator to work with her. Thinking to myself, I wonder where I went wrong. I loved books growing up so much that I spent a lot of money on an education about them. Now, I run the library public library here in Canandaigua, New York all by myself. From the time it opens in the morning, until it closes at night. Nine to nine. Some would think it’s hard working twelve hour days, five days a week. I don’t mind though. It’s not like I have a life. I never go to the slopes to ski, I don’t partake in wine tours, hell, I barely have any friends. They all moved away to far more interesting places after high school. Some people laugh and find it funny that I live in Wine Country and don’t do the tours. Why would I, considering it’s only me? For someone like me who spends years with their nose in a book, you end up missing so much that goes on around you. This, I’ve learned the hard way. There’s no one special in my life, no excitement and most certainly no sex.

Pushing the current romance novel away from me, I slide my glasses back on my face. It’s not like anyone comes in after six at night anyways, but who knows. There could be some college student needing late night studying or help with a term paper. I don’t mind missing out on night life. It’s not like I date. I don’t have many friends other than the people who come in here to read or talk about books, if you can even call them friends. I don’t go out to dinner and the last boyfriend I had was in my first year of college. Unlike the amazing romantic erotica I read now, the sex wasn’t that great and I’ve had nothing to compare it with since except myself. I’m not a lesbian or anything, but I just don’t see the point in wasting time with a man who can’t please me like I can please myself. No drunken bar hookups for me. A good book, a good vibrator and that’s all I’ve ever needed.